“Last one there is a rotten egg,” shouted Eddie Culpepper, and the boys ran ahead along the trail, except for Stubby. Stubby was a little overweight, and he was content to walk along beside her.

“Mrs. Stone, did you really spend five summers at camp?”

“I did.”

“My mom wants me to go to camp this summer.” Stubby didn’t sound very happy about the idea.

“Don’t you want to go?”

“Nah.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like sports much,” Stubby confessed. “I like to read. The Three Investigators are my favorites.”

“Toby likes them, too. There’ll probably be time to read at camp. I used to read Nancy Drew books. Lots of the girls had them, and we’d borrow the ones we hadn’t read.”

“Yeah? I still don’t think I’ll like it.”

“You might be surprised.” Lucy smiled. “We’d better catch up with the others.” She had been keeping track of the boys’ progress by listening to their voices, but she hadn’t heard them for a while.

When they rounded the last bend in the trail she was relieved to see the seven other members of den five perched on the huge boulder.

“Stubby Phipps, Stubby Phipps,” Rickie Goldman chanted. “It ought to be Chubby Hips, Chubby Hips.”

“That’s enough, Rickie,” reproved Lucy. “Who knows the story of Indian Rock?” She was wondering where Officer Culpepper and the hot chocolate were.

“It was left here by a glacier,” Stubby said. “Mr. Hutchins told us about it.”

“That’s true,” agreed Lucy, who knew better than to dispute anything a teacher said. “But I was thinking of the Indian legend. Does anybody know that?”

The boys were quiet, so she began.

“The story goes that a long time ago there was an Indian chief named Maushop. Maushop was a great chief, and his people loved and respected him. His tribe was very rich and they had lots of corn in their storehouses, and deerskins and wampum. But even though he was very rich, Maushop’s greatest treasure was his little son, Queeg. Maushop loved watching Queeg play and grow. Maushop taught him to fish and hunt and track, and Queeg grew up to be the best hunter in the whole tribe.

“But then a sickness came and many people died. It was a hard time for the tribe, and there was a great deal of suffering. The people came to Maushop and said that since he was the chief he should do something.

“So Maushop climbed up the hill where we’re standing and called to the Great Spirit.

“The Great Spirit answered, but he demanded that Maushop give him something that was dear to him.